Question is Toronto being treated differently to all the other organizations if an effort to attract ? fans to the CFL's largest market?
Then again they didn't get fine for violations in the past & now they've signed Bryant & in all likelihood will be sign Gordon.
I was under the impression the CFL would honor NFL suspensions, both are still under suspension for substance abuse.....explain?
Explain? isn’t it obvious, it’s Toronto the CFL is trying everything to sell tickets. $20 tickets, $5 beers, concerts, none of that worked to sell tickets, so let’s try something new - sign suspended NFL players
Martavis Bryant isn't going to sell tickets so that's not a motive for the signing.
His substance he abused was marijuana, since that's legal there's no suspension to honour. Any team could have signed him.
Edit: The NFL changed their drug policy in the last CBA. Marijuana use is no longer a suspendable offense. Josh Gordon would be able to play here too.
NFL's new marijuana policy: CBA changes rules dramatically for players | Sporting News Canada
Bryant it still under suspension & never asked for reinstatement.
He applied for reinstatement 2 year ago.
Source – WR Bryant applies for reinstatement (espn.com)
Regardless, his suspension means nothing here because the substance is not banned
Newest Toronto Argonaut Martavis Bryant feels he still has a lot left in the tank - TSN.ca
According to multiple media reports, the NFL suspended Bryant for marijuana use but since he’s not longer under contract with a team south of the border he was free to sign with Toronto. Also, marijuana is not on the league’s prohibited list so Bryant isn’t penalized under the CFL/CFLPA drug policy.
Hello,
As a Torontonian born and raised, I've seen the attendance and fan base dwindle by the year. Some years were better than others where there was an increase and so forth. But there is never been for a while of getting at least 20,000 fans in for a game.
It does not matter what ownership you have in Toronto. They have tried a lot of different ways in getting people in the seats. Toronto is way too narrow minded like in Vancouver where even there attendance is nothing great either.
Unfortunately, anybody under 30 years old, will not see a CFL Game on TV, and or attend an Argonauts game. They think the CFL is a "Garbage League". "No Talent", "Anybody can make a CFL Roster".
When it was normal to go to bars, I'd watch CFL Games at my local. Even then its pulling teeth to get a TV on. The Jays can be 8 - 25 at the time, and yet they get more TV's. In Toronto, for every 1000 sports fans, you might find 5 that are CFL fans. I'm serious.
I invited a lot of my friends to come to a game with me as I have 2 season tickets. They would not go even though it is free. Only my friends that are 40 and older will come, as they are football fans weather it would be NFL, CFL, and NCAA.
Lets face it, the CFL in Toronto does need to get a younger fan base, and families to come. That is the only way to get another generation of fans. Maybe they should look at a lot of Minor Football Teams from various Leagues to attend. I'm not talking like 1 - 3 home games for the season. Give away about 1000 tickets every home game to have a lot of kids come out. If there already playing football, there most likely to appreciate the game period.
I believe today’s fans are mesmerized by star players in sports in general. The NFL is no different.
A lot of the fans aren’t necessarily attached to a favourite teams like back in the day.
Right the NFL has the star players, the CFL, at the moment, does not.
Again blacking out your teams in your local area along with running the league like a mom and pop shop does leave an impression and stigma that the CFL can’t shake.
Montreal, Toronto & Vancouver have the same problem which the CFL refuses to acknowledge or examine closer. Its sad that your largest populated markets have little to no interest in the CFL with the under 45 year old. There’s also huge difference between teams in the West and East conferences when competing for the sports dollar & event competition. Sadly, the “Remember When” generation refuse to are reluctant to change …This is the CFL’s cross to bear.
I could not agree more wingedWheel and mahalcflers,
Aside from BC, the west has the best fan support. Without them, the league would be in complete disarray. Yong and old show up.
Out east is a hard sell. The belief that its not good football is a joke on why it will never be appreciated.
One of the best things the CFL did about 25 years ago was to lift the local blackout. It serves no value to your product if you don't show games on TV. You will loose your audience. That has to be the most dumbest rule ever. The NFL should scrap the blackout rule also.
It's weird how the tide has turned from soccer fans in Canada to what the CFL once was out east. Nobody would support the NASL. Then it folded. Now there are 3 MLS teams in Canada. What I don't get is that if your a Manchester United fan in Toronto, you now accepted Toronto FC as your club also. Why don't fans in Toronto be the same. If your a Cowboys fan, be an Argos fan also etc. I've been a Bears fan and Argos fan my whole life.
Blame the media
As an example, the past month biggest football story has been the Bills Mafia
I am not kidding
Newspapers have dedicated space to writing about a whiny group who cries they can not cross the border to watch Bills playoff drive because of covid.
According to source there are over 5000 Canadian Bill season ticket holders
Don’t blame the media, it’s what football fans want. There is NO CFL football right now. Have you checked the NFL TV ratings? regular season games are averaging over 800k and the wild card games were 1.5 million average.
In the pre-pandemic years they estimate around 12,000 Canadians at Bills game, maybe 5,000 are season ticket holders.
Sorry but Canadians want to watch football and don’t care if it’s not Canadian. The media is giving the people what they want
I mentioned this in another thread that this is pro-sports, it’s not the Olympics where we cheer for our country.
The Raptors had the most viewers ever for a sporting event on Canadian TV.
With the CFL not playing I don’t expect to see much in the way of CFL coverage. Especially in Southern Ontario where there is so much more going on.
Torontonians especially younger people do not see the CFL as major league, that’s not going to change.
Argos have some strong core support in certain areas of the city to build on. Winning season(s) or two....and a little creative marketing...BMO Field will be packed again.
didnt know it ever was.
It has been for TFC games in the past, but their attendance is trending towards as well.
Crazy that Bill Manning actually wants to increase BMO’s capacity for both teams. SMH
[quote="ILoveFootball, post:9, topic:69474"]
...ccer fans in Canada to what the CFL once was out east. Nobody would support the NASL. Then it folded. Now there are 3 MLS teams in Canada. What I don't get is that if your a Manchester United fan in Toronto, you now accepted Toronto FC as your club also. Why don't fans in Toronto be the same. If your a Cowboys fan, be an Argos fan also etc. I've been a Bears fan and Argos fan my whol
TV ratings for the NFL have decreased 9% from last years coverage. COVID19 has lead people to other interests, hobbies and people have been turned off the politicization of the NFL
Rogers/Sportnet on their radio coverage have ignored the CFL, CPL, CEBL, Amateur Sports and High School sports. All they want to talk about is the Leafs, NFL/Bills, da Leafs, the Raptors, da Leafs, the Blue Jays and da Leafs.
There is no need to talk about the Jays in the middle of Winter. I understand about announcing the Springer signing, but it should tone it down until the MLB season starts. Gawd, but Rogers is showing their American wannabeism, it’s embarrassing.
So, I blame the Toronto Sports media for not promoting sports that are nit Canadian
Yup. It has been. A great site too. Grey Cup when Ottawa won. Sat in the extra nosebleeds section. A little creative marketing and it can be again. There’s lots of support for football in this area, otherwise, 50,000 fans would not have been shipped in from Buffalo to watch the NFL series games at the SkyDome (Rogers Centre) back in the 90’s…
The media reports, it does not target.
No. Rogers has agenda to promote Toronto as a US city in a Canadian market. Toronto’s Fan 590 has an American sport radio show overnight that continues spew American sports that I have no interest in like College Basketball, Golf, NBA and NFL. The Fan 590 uses the CBS network feed and they never talk hockey. Then the morning show wants to talk Leafs and Blue Jays while ignoring the CFL, CEBL Junior Hockey
Don’t take this personally but where the CFL struggles… Vancouver, TO and Montreal… didn’t all three of those cities vote for our clown of a PM in the last election? Maybe a black face night or a guaranteed win night where if the home team loses Junior comes on the screen and says the home team actuallu won and there is no scandal or lies going on! Would that help?